The Mail-Journal, Volume 18, Number 11, Milford, Kosciusko County, 1 April 1981 — Page 16

THE MAIL-JOURNAL— Wed.. April 1.1981

16

Solar energy — the future is here

By TERRI CHILCOTE The ancients worshipped the sun as a god Today Americans also look to the sun as a source of power — not spiritual power, though, but in the form of solar energy Solar energy is the heat that comes from the sun. This energy is produced at the sun’s core i < rwhich is similar to a huge thermonuclear furnace. Every second this thermonuclear furnace converts more than four million tons of the sun s matter into energy This energy is then radiated throughout the universe in the form of heat and light. About one-third of the sun s radiation that reaches the earth is reflected back into space by clouds and atmospheric dust.

TRAVEL TALK

".Most tours of Europe con centrate on the large cities like Pans. Rome and London and allow only a day or two for Belguim. Holland and Luxembourg With a little extra time, wouldn t those coutries add much towards a pleasant vacation?" asked Betsy Toures when she stopped to get information about Europe at the travel agency. “Yes.” replied Lem, “these three small countries frequently referred to as the Benelux countries < Belgium. Netherlands and Luxembourg' have their own, distinct moods They can be divided into two geographical areas The low lands, or Netherlands, which include parts of Belgium, running along the North Sea coast from the northern tip of Holland to Antwerp and Flanders tn Belgium. and the ’ higher ground of forests, turn bling nvers and rolling hills erf southeastern Belgium and Luxemtxrfirg " “Belgium s centrally located capital of Brussels is about an hour or two from any point int he country.” Lem continued “Starting at the magnificent Grand Place in Brussels, said to be the most beautiful square in Europe, most of what matters in the city can be reached on a senes of easy walks such as to the f wt* fl ■ ■fl w c > L * w • BARBAR.* TODD OPENING NEW FIRM — Barbara Todd. a former Lake Wawasee resident has returned to the Syracuse community to open a new real estate firm. Barb Tadd Realty Estate Services. She left the Syracuse area in. 1*77 to become a partner in a Bloomington Century 31 real estate firm. She later mowed to California where she managed Century 31 offices in the Newport Beach area until her return to Bloomington last year. She has continued to be very active in all phases of the real estate industry . She is a licensed Indiana real estate broker, a 1973 Indiana Realtors' Institute <GRI> graduate and was awarded the Certified Management brokers designation <CRB» from the Realtors’ National Marketing Institute. She has been continually published in “Who’s Who of American Women’’ since 1*77. ■" She presently resides at Harborside condominiums. Three of her children. David. Beth, and Joe. Jr. reside in Bloomington. A daughter. Cathy, and her husband live in Cattfomia. Barb Todd Realty win continue to specialise in the real estate needs of Ti was hip property owners and residents.

STURONJAC BUILDERS "Custom Designs" New Construction Concrete

Another 10 to 15 per cent is absorbed by atmospheric water vapor, carbon dioxide and ozone. The rest is free for the taking Solar technology is based on developing systems that can collect and harness the sun’s rays for domestic energy use. Solar energy research began in the 1930 s in the United States Following the Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 and the resulting fuel shortages and price increases, solar energy research was stepped up. Today there are more than 40,000 American homes currently using solar heating and cooling systems. By the year 2000, more than 20 million homes as well as many commercial buildings will be using solar energy

museums, churches, parks, gardens, historic squares, weekend antique market set on a Place du Grand Sablon, and a ’ Sunday morning flea market in the Les .Marolles district It is necessary’ to go by tram to the Royal Central Africa .Museum in a castle in the suberb of Tervurn Every one says it is definitely worth the visit “ “A 45 minute tram nde takes you to Antwerp, a busy port and diamond center in addition to its wealth of museums and architectural masterpieces Another short nde takes you to Ghent, called the Florence of the North for its imcomparable art treasures, and to Bruges, a living museum strung out along narrow canals With the aid of rail passes, purchased m this country before you visit, one could set up an art tour, for instance, to include museums hohdng some of the greatest paintings of all time And then continue on into the pastoral Meuse Valley and Ardennes Forest ‘ “In the Netherlands, Amsterdam has fascinated generations of travelers with its beauty Graceful bridges span canals against a backdrop of lacy church spires Stately tower like patrician homes line cobblestone canalside lanes Along with its heavenly setting. Amsterdam offers culture by day at its Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and a racy night scene For the American visitor, there is an extra bonus m this Dutch capital because almost everyone speaks English ” “Continuing into the surrounding country, there are the tulip fields m season, dikes, windmills and market towns For off-trail Netherlands, to the north is Friesland set with picturesque fishing ports; Groningen province where the city of the same name is laced with canals and set with histone buildings Beyond is the pasotral province of Drenthe ” Tourist cycling offers the greatest in cost-cutting and energy saving travel Holland has some 250 miles (400 km> of specially constructed tourist cycling paths winding through the countryside of Drenthe and through pretty villages Along the way one can put up at country inns These bicycle paths also go through Gominger and to the seaside of Fnesland " "What about Luxembourg'" asked Betsy “It always sounds like a story-book land “ “The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is the biggest little country in Europe with plenty of contrast, variety and beauty. Its people show a stubborn pride in their homeland out of all proportion to its size.” Lem replied “Once the House of Luxembourg dominated a large block of Europe. Luxembourg Castle, located at the crossroads of the Continent, ranked among the mightiest fortresses of its time Various powers battled for four centuries to gain control of this bastion known as the Gibraltar of the North . " “Today. Luxembourg ranks among the world s top twelve steel producers With Brussels, the city of Luxembourg serves as so-capital of the Common Market. The city has one hundred international banks in business there.” “One can visit various parts of the country with short trips by bus or tram. The rides take you on a panoramic view of ancient fortifications, remains of a tenth century castle and through towns which are gems of medieval skyline AU this and more would provide an enchanting vacation, relaxing and varied, certainly one well worth considering.” Lem concluded. “Right you are." agreed Betsy as she gathered together the brochures that pictured these countries and went home to do some serious planning

Solar Energy Comes To Lakeland Three Lakeland area families are currently building solar homes. The Bill Cables. Rich Stollers and Ron Baumgartners are attempting to get out from under the high cost of fossil fuels Rich Stoller, Bowser Road. Syracuse, decided to install a solar heating cooling system in his new home because of the fuel cost savings over conventional systems and because he is fascinated with the new technology’. A local builder. Stoller believes solar heating will eventually become the norm. "1 don't think society has any choice." he remarked. Bill Cable is building a solar home at 30 North Shore Drive in

ACTIVE mSSTVEj

Syracuse, “because we’re conscious of the energy problems.” He added. "We need to make use of natural energies." Although the house is incompleted, the Cables are presently living in it. Ron Baumgartner's reason for switching to solar energy is “to reduce energy consumption The cost of gas and electricity kept rising all through the 1970 s and will continue to increase throughout the century ” The Baumgartner home is located on Beer Road, east of Milford. All three families are utilizing "passive" solar heating and cooling systems. A passive system does not require mechanical power to distribute the collected solar heat. W’ith passive systems, the design of the building itself produces and distributes the heat naturally Shutters and insulated curtains can be drawn to avoid heat loss at night and overheating during the day This is different from “active" systems in that active systems require mechanical power, such as pumps, valves and fans, to distribute the solar heat Whereas active systems require mechanical means to distribute the heat, passive systems use the building itself to collect and distribute the heat through design, architecture, insulation and orientation toward the sun Passive heating systems generally require a large southern glass area to collect the sun s rays As the sun enters through the glass, the walls and floors, made of heat-absorbing materials, such as masonry, absorb the heat and distribute it into the room. Passive systems seem to be growing in popularity among home owners because of its simplicity, lower installation costs over active systems and little operating or maintenance costs It can also be easily adapted to existing buildings Envelope Architecture Cable and Stoller are employing envelope architecture m

* "•• w —A-- • SPRING TIME - These four Milford eletnenUry students took ads antage of the warm weather. Tuesday. March 31. during the noon recess by playing tetherball. Shown on the court are Brent Grimm and Holly Jodry as Raquel Perez and Donna Miller wait their turn. (Photo by Deb Fox >

jgl a a r xm ■ a ■ Ml w fl 8 Bllu flfl f KI fll fl FIRE DELIVERED — The Milford Fire Department must have MBford citizens trained well. Now they’re bringing their fores to the fire station instead of the firemew going to the fwes. WeAaesday morning (April 1) a Borden Waste-Away garbage truck dumped a load of burning trash in front of the Milford Fire Station when the drive noticed his load was burning. W hen The MailJournal called 4he fare number. Firemen Bob Ruch wasn’t sure if it was an April FeoTs joke or not. Bat Milford foremen quickly responded and put ont the burning rubble. (Photo by Terri Chßcotel

their homes. Envelope architecture utilized classical physics. A thermal envelope is constructed around the perimeters of the structure. This is done withftin attached green house on the south and air passages in the roof, north wall and under the house. This construction method sets up a circulation of air that maintains a pleasant temperature yearround. During the daytime, cooler dense air from the north side of the house drops and moves under the house which also has an underground heat storage medium of earth. This forces hot air from the greenhouse to rise and exit through roof vents or circulate across ceiling space to

be cooled again on the north side. At night, the process is reversed. The air in the envelop picks up warmer temperatures from the underground heat storage and thermal mass, that is. heat-absorbing building materials. Part of the success of solar homes is use of super insulation. Open bids for road, bridge work The Indiana State Highway Commission opened sealed bids on six road, 31 bridge. 11 maintenance and 11 traffic contracts for a variety of road work around the state, according to Donald C. Pratt. Commission Chairman. Pratt said that of the 59 advertised contracts, six received no bids below highway s engineer estimates of the cost to do the work Among those which did receive an apparent low bid was a road contract for bituminous surfacing and bridge work on SR 37 relocated in Crawford county. The bids concerning Elkhart County are for the new bridge on SR 15 over Geyer Ditch, 0.7 miles north of US 6 A detour will be posted and SR 15 may be restricted for no longer than 60 calendar days Completion is set for on or before October 1. The contractor that has placed a bid on this project is Prime Contruction. Inc., Fort Wayne, with a bid of $185,638.04 while the engineers estimate for this project is $236,314.73. i The projects for Kosciusko County concern installation of guardrails at bridges on SR 25. The contractor is Fen-Guard, Inc., Fort Wayne, with a bid of $357,915.80. that also covers bridge rails for Cass, Fulton, LaPorte, Marshall. Pulaski and Starke Counties. The state engineers estimate for this project was $541,274.50.

much more than used in conventional homes. “The focus of our effort is more insulation —a well-insulated home," Baumgartner pointed out. This allows home owners to make maxium use of the heat inside the home. Cloudy Days’ Stoller isn’t sure how well the solar system will work on overcast days, but thinks there will be enough massive heat in the floor to carry them comfortably through cloudy days. He’s installing a wood burning stove, though, just in case. Baumgartner feels there are too many prolonged periods of cloud cover in Indiana to rely solely on solar heat He is installing a natural gas furnace to take over where the sun leaves off Cable is confident overcast days will be no problem in his new solar home He has installed 30 per cent more glass to collect the sun rays than most solar homes require His reason for doing this is two-fold. First, he isn't sure how the many shade trees on his property will affect the efficiency of his solar system. The second reason is the increased glass area captures the beauty of Lake Wawasee on which the Cable home is located. “Everything we've done is to accentuate the lake," he explained All the windows have been strategically placed so a view of the lake can be seen from every room in the house. The Cables have also installed a wood burning stove in the house's lower level just as a precaution Cable pointed another advantage of sotar heat, besides the fuel cost savings, is higher inside humidity. According to Cable, humidity in his home is around 50 per cent, compared to 15 per cent in conventional homes. “We don’t have the discomforts of dry heated air or static electricity.” he testified. He said he and his wife used to suffer from nasal problems until they moved into their solar-heated home. All three men acknowledged living in a solar home requires adjustments in one's lifestyle such as closing and opening curtains and shutters to regulate heat and doning sweaters when chilly instead of turning up a thermostat and being conscious of the weather Solar Myths As with any new technology, solar energy has spawned several misconceptions. Most Americans still envision solar homes as new. awkward-looking, futuristic buildings found exclusively in the Sun Belt. First solar heating systems are not restricted to new structures. Most existing homes can be retrofitted with either active or passive solar heating systems. The solar panels are usually incorporated into a building’s architectural style One doesn t have to live in the sunny South, either, to make use of solar energy. Solar energysystems can be used effectively in every part of the country, regardless of climate. And the nicest part about solar energy is that nobody’ can comer the market — not even OPEC?

NIPSCo petitions to recover increased gas costs

Northern Indiana Public Service Company petitioned the Indiana Public Service Commission Wednesday. March 25, to» allow the utility to pass on $221,442 in higher costs for gas purchased from one of its five suppliers. Michigan-Wisconsin Pipeline Company, as authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Natural Gas Policy Act section of the national Energy Act of 1978. The purchased gas adjustment, if approved as filed, would increase average NIPSCo residential customer costs; those

THE RON BAUMG.ARTNER HOME ON BEER ROAD NEAR MILFORD THE RICH STOLLER SOLAR HOUSE ON BOWSER ROAD NEAR SYRACUSE tV'A • fl fl fl " B . to fl .fl flfl Bfl B life. ■ THE BILL CABLE RESIDENCE ATM N. SHORE DR.. SYRACUSE

using 147.600 cubic feet of gas a year for home heating and other purposes. 14 cents a year or a little more than one cent per month beginning in May. An average NIPSCo residential customer using 39,800 cubic feet or natural gas for purposes other than home heating would realize an increase of five cents per year or about one-half cent per month. The purchased gas adjustment is the second filed by NIPSCo this year. The total effect of all these adjustments on the average NIPSCo customer using 147,600 cubic feet of gas for home heating and other purposes would be an annual increase from $524.21 on January 1. 1981 to $561.13 as of May 1,1981 An average NIPSCo customer using 39,800 cubic feet of natural gas for purposes other than home heating, will experience an annual increase from $169.29 on January 1,1981 to $179.24 on May 1. 1981, upon approval of this application. Gas rate adjustments to NIPSCo customers, usually upward but sometimes downward, have occurred and will continue to occur as rates from NIPSCo’s pipeline supplies change. ”nder the Natural Gas Policy Act provision and after Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, they have changed and will. NIPSCo explained it does not realize one cent of profit from purchased gas adjustments. The money, the company said, goes cfirectly to suppliers to pay for the increased cost of natural gas delivered to the utility. The company also said that in spite of these rising costs, natural gas continues to be the least expensive for home heating ® northern Indiana.

: /w \ ; ! UJ 7 Pierceton, Ind? ; - Camp Free FUN 3 Days, 2 Nights 1 FOR THE Reservations Necessary ’ ; WHOLE FAMILY w . ph ß on o e l 2l P , 5 ” , , :! ’ 24 °' 3 ! Write: R. R. 1, Pierceton, IN 46562 I LAKBIDt VFW I | POST 1342 I I BREAKFAST 1 ■ - fl B Aoril 4 > 1 fl SorriagS A.M. To 11 A.M. 1 I Pancakes. Sausage, Bacon. Eggs. Etc. fl I — Public Invited — J flWomen will meet for nomination and election of officers® ■on Saturday, April 11, at 1 P.M. fl ■ Men will meet on Thursday, April 9. 7 P.M. to nominatefl ■officers. They will meet on Thursday, April 23, at 7 P.M. fl ■for their election. ■